Hiking and Exploring Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Huge views, colorful rock, geology on display, nature exposed, fresh clean air, massive amazement...these are all included in a trip to this Sandstone Wonderland. In far northern Arizona there is a vast area of rugged and beautiful locations known as the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. An area covering 280,000 acres, the monument includes the Paria River Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, the Paria Plateau, the Vermilion Cliffs, and Coyote Buttes. The area is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This article focuses on the northwestern part of the plateau where such destinations as Coyote Buttes North and South and White Pocket are located. Sandstone outcrops of Jurassic-aged Navajo sandstone are prevalent in the area, and the wind has carved a plethora of unique shapes to visit and photograph. Striated layers of fossilized sand dunes, towers of sandstone, cones, fins, crossbedding, teepees, hoodoos, “brain rocks”, and other wild shapes of rock in orange, yellow, red, purple, pink, ocher, tan, and other indescribable colors pervade this region...

@SteveSpidey guides us through the hiking and exploration oppurtunities offered by the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument with some amazing scenery along the way - check out the full article in Issue 33:

Sandstone Wonderland: Exploring Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Issue 33 Page 1